BACK FROM THE DEAD

Post number 3 - January 8th 2022

64 years and one day and things changed forever

Medically it was simple to have this Cognitive issue checked when things initially got a touch odd. A visit to my trusted GP was as good a place as any to start and that went well.

My doc did a 'Mini Mental Exam' and some cognitive tests and I did ok, I was a touch slow perhaps at nailing the test but doing fine she said. She did order a CT Scan to be done asap and that showed little. That was all I needed really, medically I was ok.

Look, personally for me, sure, being honest, I guess the signs said maybe this cognitive thing was not right.

But on that day I left it go. It was probably nothing more than an old age thing, I mean, why at that point would I ever entertain it was anything else or that it would present a health problem down the track?

And anyhow, I believed I had the answer, any issues that were manifesting with my cognitive thoughts were vascular related so nothing at all to be concerned with.

In November 2018 I had suffered a series of heart attacks and cardiac arrests and it is not, apparently, uncommon for some cognitive issues to be a flow on effect. Knowing that then it looked like I may have found the connection between the heart attacks and what ever it was that was happening in my mind.

When I had my heart problems life changed physically and now that my mind was acting up it was logical to join the dots. Because before the heart problems, no cognitive issue, after the heart problems, the mind wasn't doing so well.

So, simples, it was vascular related.

Back to November 2018 and the heart attacks, I was turning 64 and that was very cool for me.

It was an age I had looked forward to since I was a teenager. That is a touch odd on its own but the roots of that thought are a result of The Beetles song, 'When I'm 64'. Look, I loved the song when I first heard it way back in 1968 when and at that time as a young teenager anyone being 64 was impossible for me to fathom.

Anyhow, the song stayed with me and I would sing along when I heard it on the radio or wherever and I knew the words by heart.

But, as said, I always wondered who in the dickens turned 64. Now alas, I was and I celebrated the milestone mainly because The Beetles had recorded that darn song and it had been stuck in my head across five decades.

But as much as this was a milestone year in my journey on the day after birthday 64 life would change.

It was a Tuesday, it had been a long work day as they were at that time and finally inside to settle I began to feel somewhat unwell. Thinking little of it I had my dinner, caught up on business paperwork and the night was like most others.

Except this feeling of unwell got worse and I eventually confided in Ruth that I was not so good. And that was unlike me because I tended to roll with the punches and not say much medically. I have a high pain tolerance and it seemed I could generally work through things.

It was now after 10 that night and suddenly I had chest pain and soon after it extended to my left arm and wow, the pain got bad. I had to tell Ruth, “I think I'm in trouble” and from here things developed quick.

She called 000 and an ambulance was on it's way. It was a long painful 10-minutes but finally the paramedics were at my Woodcroft home and after a couple of quick medical checks they were concerned for me. I was given pain relief but that was lost because anxiety had taken hold.

Loaded into the ambulance I was off to Flinders Medical Centre with sirens blaring and lights flashing. That is now my favourite part of this story, I get great mileage from that and often mention it to Ruth. I was so crook I say, I got the royal treatment, flashing lights and sirens.

Anyhow along the expressway to Flinders things turned bad, and serious, I suffered a heart attack. The Paramedics worked on me in the back of the ambulance on the side of the Expressway, they called for back-up support and with the defib paddles I was revived.

Eventually we made it to Flinders, I was greeted at the door by either the cavalry or the girl guides. I have never really known but what I remember is that there were people everywhere waiting for me. I was taken straight off to theatre and had a stent inserted into a blockage in my heart.

Ruth had travelled with me in the ambulance to Flinders. She was looked after by staff but was isolated when I was taken off to theatre. We chat about that time often and I know it was very tough on her, she did not know if I was dead or alive as this had happened so quick.

Eventually I was taken onto a heart ward at Flinders and Ruth was back with me. Looked like we had dodged a bullet.

I guess it was explained what had been done in theatre but I was not really with it and maybe did not understand. I remember I felt terrible.

Then an hour after being out of theatre I suffered another heart attack and cardiac arrest. It was later revealed a blood clot had found its way to the stent and I was now in a crap load of trouble.

This time my heart stopped and any electric rhythm was gone. I was down, a Code Blue was issued on the ward and the recovery team took over. CPR eventually got some heart rhythm, the paddles were used and I was back.

Now I was rushed into theatre for some procedure where the affected artery near my heart was inflated with a balloon device inserted, get this, through my groin.

Operation completed I was now sedated, tubes were stuck into so many places and I was staying alive on a respirator. The ICU ward at Flinders was my next stop.

For me, it was easy, I have no recollection but again for Ruth it was a time of great stress, She was for the most part looked after by staff but again had little or no idea what was happening when I was rushed off to theatre for a second time.

Eventually, after some hours she was taken to ICU. Ruth remembers being told at this point I was alive but not conscious. I can imagine it was an awkward sight when she arrived on the ward, I must have looked crap and all the tubes and wires and heart machines would have been daunting. I was in an induced coma.

But she was with me and even though I had no idea of what was happening resilient Ruth set about informing family, taking care of my business, organizing workers and updating clients. The next couple of days would have been a tough time for her. Other than travelling to Woodcroft to feed the pets, water the pots and to shower Ruth remained at my bedside.

For me, at least I was alive and resting. The medical folk were concerned that I may have some brain damage from the down time following the cardiac arrest, sedation was reduced and I was tested but apparently passed the tests so I was again put back into a coma.

Eventually I was taken off the respirator and allowed to slowly return to the world. That was awkward because in the early stages of coming around I could hear everything that was being said by the ICU staff at my bedside but could not communicate back.

Yeah, awkward as said. I had absolutely no idea what had happened to have me laying here feeling so crap and I vividly remember being very uncomfortable with all these tubes going down my throat. It was a painful and probably a scary time.

Finally I was awake and the full extent of what went down over the past few days was revealed to me. I lost 60 hours of life but the down time was needed to allow my heart time to rest as I was kept alive on a machine.

So, that night in November 2018 would be the night when things started getting awkward with my health. My recovery was slow, fatigue and pain became common.

I went go from being a hard worker, a very hard worker and always active to being tired and lacked the energy to do simple things. I would even have a day time nap. What? Who needs a sleep in the day?

And what about the pills? I had been pill free but in the initially stages of heart attack recovery I was on 9 different medication. Apparently that was for my own good! Although I think it was enough to make me sick.

So, will end this story here for now although there is more to tell in the next post. (post 4)

But I understand why the link between my heart attack and cardiac arrest would be a thought as to why I was having this cognitive decline. After all I died twice that November night, who knows how my brain may or may not have suffered before I was revived.

I figured back at the time it was not something to dwell on but looking at it now I guess my lay-person understanding is that my brain did reset with the cardiac arrest and maybe had not returned in tip-top cognitive shape.

And, on a side note, there was a couple of very positive brain changes that are simply staggering.

So, stay tuned. Go Cats ...

Now, I will leave you today with this thought.

Having a heart attack is bad, but not as bad as having a heart attack while playing charades with Ruth.